Extract from the orientation document
of the fifth edition of the Mont Blanc Meetings

The International Forum for Social Economy, known as the Mont Blanc Meetings developed an
orientation document, the final version of which will be sent to all the Heads of State taking part
in the Rio 2012 summit on sustainable development. Then it will be distributed internationally so
as to contribute to the positioning of the Social Economy as a major, vital player in the changes
underway in globalisation.

The purpose of the various families of the
social and solidarity economy (SSE) go well
beyond the economic field. Since its origins,
it has strived for a fairer, more democratic,
more ecological society with more solidarity.
It cannot be separated from its economic
purpose (associating for entrepreneurship),
from its social purpose (justice and democracy), and the-
refore it is not possible to reduce its role, its weight and its
contribution to economic indicators of wealth alone, to the
number of companies it has created and to the number of
jobs created (more than 10 % of world GDP). In short, its
economic weight is far from sufficing to define it. The SSE
is a stakeholder in the construction of a credible alternative
to the dominant economy, on the condition that there is
not an underestimation of its social and ecological role and
the impact of its project, its ethic, its governance, its achie-
vements and its influence on other players in the economic
world (public enterprises or enterprises in the market sector).

Without changing the dominant economic model, it can
contribute to going beyond it and influence the economy
as a whole by showing through its practices, values and
policies, its ability to handle the challenges of sustainable
development, i.e. economically viable, socially equitable and
ecologically sustainable development.

However, it must invest the field of political represen-
tation, by federating it solidly on both the national and the
international fronts. To do this, our organisation proposes
contributions which are addressed to public authorities and
international institutions, contributions which are inspired
by the best practices of the international experience of the
SSE around five projects translating in operational terms
ways of getting out of the crisis:

? democratising the economy and regulating finance;

? promoting shared governance;

? providing new social choices;

? etter feeding the planet and redeploying the

b
environment;

? hanging the direction of globalisation to make

c
it more human.

Finally, we conclude on the common theme of these
proposals: create movement with a federative political
action in alliance with other organisations and institutions.

First project:
democratising the economy
and encouraging
territorialisation

? We want to encourage, by all means necessary, the
development of a vast non-capitalist sector of SSE enterprises
operating democratically on the challenges of the global
crisis that we are going through. We believe that an essential
precondition of this development is the universal affirmation
of the plurality of forms of entrepreneurship through the
recognition in law of the statues of co-operatives, mutuals,
associations and foundations.

? We are concentrating on developing quality employ-
ment in the context of an economy serving well-being in
a fair world.

? We support the taking or the taking back control of
common goods (water, land, natural resources...) by com-
munities and States, in particular through the development
of co-operatives, mutuals and associations. And at the same
time, therefore, forms of ownership both private and collec-
tive, ensuring sustainability for enterprises and organisations
(co-operatives, associations, mutuals) and access to goods
and services (free seed, open software, etc...).

? We invite public authorities to support with greater
force the biodiversity of the economy, collective entrepre-
neurship and sustainable and solidarity territories develop-
ment, through policies and legislation which are relevant.
We need to strengthen, on the basis of common objectives,
links between the SSE, the State and local authorities, by
forging close local and national partnerships, using the
local footholds that co-operatives, mutuals, associations
and foundations have, to help young people access jobs or
support the development of responses suited to new needs.

? We want to develop a finance system for the SSE,
or favourable to it, to support the development of new
collective enterprises (workers? funds, orientation of SSE
investment towards the SSE thanks to social, environmental
and governance criteria, public and international support
programmes for collective enterprises starting up, SSE
financing institutes...) and we share with others the principle
of strong regulation of finance. We are inciting co-opera-
tive and mutualist banks and alternative banks to provide
local support to business, solidarity-based environmental
initiatives in the SSE and create common tools to finance
I

The Mont-Blanc Meetings Vth Edition 2011
continental and international SSE projects. We are also calling
on Governments and major international banks to set up
partnerships with them with this aim.

? We particularly draw the attention of Governments
to the fact that their choices in strategic and/or sensitive
areas are not reduced to a bipolar choice (privatisation v.
nationalisation); the SSE is a third way.

[UNDESA/DSD: Pleade download the original document to read the full submission]